Gaming machines typically include various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, such as bill acceptors and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, such as key pads and button pads, to determine the wager amount, and initiate game play. After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game.
The operations described above may be carried out on the gaming machine when the gaming machine is operating as a “stand alone” unit or linked in a network of some type to a group of gaming machines, such as via an intranet or the Internet. As technology in the gaming industry progresses, more and more gaming services are being provided to gaming machines using a client-server model. In a client-server model, groups of gaming machines are linked via a dedicated communication network of some type to a remote computer that provides one or more gaming services using the dedicated communication network.
There are wide varieties of associated devices that can comprise a gaming machine, such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, coupon dispensers, card readers, bill acceptors, coin acceptors, coin hoppers, display panels, key pads, light bezels, button panels, communication devices, cameras, input devices, security detection circuitry, amplifiers, cash-in/cash-out devices, meters, power supplies, and gaming controllers. Many of these devices are built into the gaming machine while some are grouped into separate units, such as top boxes that may be placed on top of the machine.
Some gaming machine devices are considered more critical to the gaming machine operations than others are. In particular, devices that control the input and output of money from the gaming machine are generally considered critical devices. The master gaming controller, which controls the features of the game played on the gaming machine including the pay-out of a particular game as well as the gaming devices which output game pay-outs, is one of the most critical gaming devices, if not the most critical device. Specific examples of other critical devices include card readers, bill acceptors, ticket coupon readers, and coin acceptors which control the input of money into the gaming machine and note stackers, token dispensers, drop boxes and ticket/coupon dispensers which control the output of money from the gaming machine.
Access to a particular gaming machine device depends on the type of device. Input devices, such as bill acceptors, coin acceptors, and card readers, or output devices, such as coupon dispensers or token dispensers, are directly accessible. These devices have at least one access mechanism on the outside of the gaming machine so that the gaming machine may either accept money or indicia of credit from players desiring to play the game or pay-out money to a player playing a game. However, access to the mechanisms controlling the operation of these devices is usually behind one or more doors provided on the gaming machine exterior. The gaming controller and the money storage devices, such as bill stackers and drop boxes, are less accessible. These devices are usually only accessible after opening one or more doors or other barriers that limit access to these critical devices.
The doors that allow access to the critical devices are often secured with keyed locks. For security, when any of these doors are opened, the gaming machine must stop normal game play operation and switch to an attention state. Thus, it is necessary to detect whether a door is open or closed via an electronic means so that the operating software utilized by the gaming controller can take appropriate action.
Another access mechanism to gaming devices including bill acceptors, coin acceptors, token dispensers, gaming controllers, and coupon dispensers is through wires which accept and transmit signals which control the operation of the device. Typically, during the operation of the gaming machine, many of the associated gaming devices are controlled in some manner by a gaming controller located within the gaming machine. The control of a gaming device is enabled by the wires that connect a gaming device to the gaming controller. For example, when a player is playing a game and receives a pay-out during the course of a game, the gaming controller may send out a signal to a coupon dispenser, located in some other part of the gaming machine away from the gaming controller, instructing the coupon dispenser to dispense a coupon representing the pay-out. Thus, access may be gained to a gaming device, via the wires connected to the gaming device.
A common mode of theft for gaming machines involves accessing the devices which control the input and output of money to the gaming machine through some access mechanism and manipulating the devices in some manner to obtain an illegal pay-out. For example, one type of theft might involve simply taking money from a drop box while a gaming machine is being accessed for maintenance. Another type of theft might involve illegally gaining access to the master gaming controller and reprogramming the master gaming controller to payout an illegal jackpot. Another type of theft might involve compromising the wires to a coupon dispenser and sending a signal instructing it to dispense coupons with some monetary value.
Security monitoring of access to the gaming machine is usually implemented in some manner by the master gaming controller during normal operations of the gaming machine in conjunction with some security monitoring hardware independent of the master gaming controller. The security monitoring by the master gaming controller is implemented while the gaming machine is receiving power from an external power source, such as AC power from a power outlet. In the event the gaming machine is receiving no external power, such as during a power failure or when the gaming machine is being stored or shipped, security monitoring of the gaming machine is carried out only by the independent security monitoring hardware powered by an internal power source within the gaming machine, such as battery.
In the gaming industry, power loss, hardware malfunctions, software malfunctions, a player trying to cheat a machine, attempts at theft or tampering of the gaming machine, or other circumstances that require an operator's attention can result in a “tilt”. For example, a bill acceptor jam, a door on the gaming machine being opened, or a loss of power may cause a tilt on a gaming machine. Tilts are sometimes referred to as “hard” tilts or “soft” tilts. Hard tilts typically result in the machine being placed in a lock-out state where no further game play can occur and operator intervention is required to reset the machine so that game play can resume. Soft tilts typically allow game play to continue but may alert an attendant and/or may result in some functions not being available to a player. For example, a jam in the bill acceptor may disable acceptance of paper bills as a pay form, but acceptance of coins or others forms of credit may continue to be accepted so that game play continues.
Typically, the declaration, handling and clearing of a tilt is governed by the rules of the gaming jurisdiction in which the gaming machine is located. Frequently, one gaming jurisdiction may require a tilt to be declared, handled and cleared differently from another gaming jurisdiction. For example, some gaming jurisdictions require a malfunction to be declared a tilt immediately. Others prefer to let the malfunction clear itself, and, if unable to do this over a specified period of time, to declare a tilt.
To comply with the requirements of a particular gaming jurisdiction, conventionally, gaming machines are individually customized. Typically, this requires that jurisdictionally customized programming be developed and loaded into each machine so that a tilt is declared under the proper circumstances. Generally, this is designed so that the events that result in a tilt and the tilt are defined together. Thus, if jurisdictional changes are required, extensive code revision can be required. This method is costly in terms of program development and installation. Further, if the machine is moved to a different gaming jurisdiction, or if the requirements change, the machine must then be individually loaded with entirely new programming that is customized for that gaming jurisdiction.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to have a method for handling tilts in a more flexible and configurable manner that is less costly in terms of programming development and installation time.